Does anyone have any experience with Eibach swaybars for a Suburban? I know Hotchkis makes a quality product, but I do not feel it's a $200 better product...

 

Bueller anyone?

 

I've been going back and forth on this one - between Hotchkis, Hellwig, and Eibach. Hotchkis seems to be the better product, most experience, etc. Hellwig has a different technology than everyone else (solid bars versus hollow for Hotchkis, Eibach, and stock) so I think they're the odd-man out. If their technology was better, they'd be charging more, so they're out of the running as far as I'm concerned.

Between Hotchkis and Eibach, I'm uncertain. Eibach is new in the truck sway bar business so they're unproven. I talked with a guy at Eibach yesterday who told me they used his truck to test the new truck sway bars (he has a Tahoe). They had to ship the bars from Germay where they're made, test them in California, then send test results back to Germany for remanufacturing, then ship them back to CA again, etc, during the development process. Not that they couldn't develop a good sway bar that way (they certainly could). But their product is new and unproven.

I've heard horror stories about end links not fitting properly and this being the cause of many problems with sway bars. To be fair, it seems all three companies have had problems in this area (believe me, I've been researching this topic for 5 months). I'm not sure what's going on, who is better. I'm leaning toward Hotchkis right now just because the way I think is "Do it right the first time and you never have to do it again." Plus tbyrne.com is having a sale right now, 10% off all Hotchkis products.

So I am leaning in that direction, at least now anyway....

 

I forgot to add what information I have assembled for the bars (these are for my Avalanche, which is on a Suburban frame/chassis and lowered 2/3):

Hotchkis: 1.44” front, 1.25" rear (hollow)
Eibach: 1.38” front, 1.26” rear (hollow)
Hellwig: 1.31” front, 1.25" rear (solid)

Another important issue is that of bushings. I think they all have poly-u bushings. The Hotchkis bars have zerk fittings to grease the bushings to minimize squeaking. Squeaking sucks IMO. What do the Eibachs have? That's a good question to ask them. Some bushings are graphite-impregnated which from what I understand minimizes squeaking.

More info required. Let me know if you find out anything new.

 

have you looked into addco swaybars?

 

you wont be dissapointed with the Hotchkis, they are worth the extra $$$. no problems with the quallity as well as easy to install.

 

There's no doubt that Hotchkis is better. However $200 better?

I know it has zerk fittings that other brands do not have. Fitment, well that is unknown about other brands as well. And the whole saving weight thing with a hollow bar, is always nice. I had a Hellwig sway bar on my old '00 Dakota and that worked out just fine. I've used Eibach on my past import cars and have zero problems.

$300 or $500 is a pretty significant difference in price for swaybars. There has to be a significant reason to get these... Right?

 

Here's the other thing....you could just get a rear bar. This would give you neutral steering or a little oversteer if you kept the stock bar up front. Car manufacturers all dial in understeer for legal reasons, whereas a neutral or oversteering car is more fun to drive IMO. Just be careful for switching ends..

 

You mean understeer.

 

i have all eibach suspension. It handles better than it should. I should be dead by now.